Schneider Electric Announces Awards for the Distributors of the Year ACE Program 2013

Schneider Electric has announced its 2013 Distributors of the Year for the Automation & Control Excellence (ACE) Program. Dakota Supply Group, with headquarters in Fargo, ND is receiving this honor for their remarkable performance in Drives Level in 2013.

DSG named “National ESOP Company of the Year”

Dakota Supply Group has been named the 2014 ESOP Company of the Year by The ESOP Association. The award was presented at the Association’s 37th Annual Conference in Washington, DC. The ESOP Association is the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and the leading voice in America for employee ownership.

Since Dakota Supply Group’s establishment in 1898, the company and employee owners have worked hard at making a name as a full-line distributor of electrical, plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, communications, utility, automation, waterworks, filtration and metering technology products and systems. In 1996, the company became an ESOP, and in May 2006, Dakota Supply Group became 100% employee owned. Continually growing since 1898, the company has had 10 acquisitions since 1999 and Dakota Supply Group now numbers 595 employee owners.

Dakota Supply Group is a strong supporter of employee ownership and its employee owners strive to represent the company at both Chapter and National ESOP Association events. Employee owners are regular attendees at Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter meetings and enthusiastically participate on Chapter committees and as presenters at Chapter and National conferences. The company actively recruits “Dakotas” ESOP companies to join the Chapter and was a catalyst for changing the Chapter name to accurately represent North Dakota and South Dakota. Working to strengthen employee ownership in America, the employee owners of Dakota Supply Group meet with members of Congress and work to promote ESOP issues not only in their home state but on the national level as well.

“I’m delighted to present the employee owners of Dakota Supply Group with the 2014 ESOP Company of the Year Award,” said ESOP Association President, J. Michael Keeling. “The employee owners integrate the ESOP into all they do at the company and also endeavor to share that ESOP spirit with the community. Dakota Supply Group is an example of the value and potential that employee ownership can bring to a company.”

DSG Acquires Woodruff Co.

Dakota Supply Group is pleased to announce the addition of Woodruff Company to the DSG family of companies. This new partnership was effective on April 30, 2014 and will add to DSG’s existing service area in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.

“Both companies share a commitment to the long-term success of our customers,” says Mike Tupa, DSG’s Chief Segment Manager. “This move creates a company that is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Woodruff, which also has locations in Austin and Winona, will now be known as DSG, but it will retain its staff, and virtually all other proceedings will be “business as usual” for customers and manufacturers. This new partnership will further develop DSG’s service area in southern Minnesota, eastern Wisconsin and Iowa. Woodruff will add nearly 20 employee owners and more than 60 years of experience to the DSG brand.

MDM Supply To Open New Branch In Billings, Montana

MDM Supply, a division of DSG, has committed to opening a new branch in Billings, Mont. MDM Supply is one of Montana’s most respected distributors of plumbing and HVAC/R products, as well as hydronic heating and cooling supplies. This new branch will be located at 1838 King Avenue West on a 6.5-acre lot in a busy commercial district of western Billings. Remodeling of the existing structure will get started in early 2014, and the new branch is expected to open sometime in the spring. The completed facility will have 23,000 square feet of space.

Roy Eskro will serve as branch manager of the new MDM Supply branch in Billings. Roy has more than 30 years of management experience, previously serving in such roles as regional manager for a large plumbing and HVAC distributor as well as working as a manufacturer’s representative. “We’re excited to bring the customer-first philosophy of MDM Supply to the Billings area,” says Eskro. “We are looking forward to being an important asset to the community and continuing to grow in our product offerings.”

DSG has promoted Anne Bryson to the position of branch manager at both its Grand Forks, ND, and Bemidji, MN, locations. Bryson will take over for Clair Zirnhelt, who will retire from DSG at the end of 2013.

Bryson has worked at DSG since 1986, serving in a number of key positions, including time in the quotations department and most recently as an account manager. She is a graduate of the Gold level in the Electric Products Education Course (EPEC), a highly regarded training program in the electrical distribution industry.

“Anne brings a wealth of experience and industry knowledge to her new position,” says DSG President Tom Rosendahl. “She is highly respected by both our customers and by her fellow employee owners. She’s going to be an important part of our customers’ success in Grand Forks and Bemidji.”